Russia was forced to take five military aircraft out of service due to key parts being swapped out for poor-quality ones, according to local media reports.The issue affects the landing gear of Russia’s Il-76MD-90A, a large modernized strategic aircraft designed for ferrying troops and military equipment.This would mean that more than a quarter of Russia’s fleet of Il-76MD-90As were taken out of action.It’s unclear exactly when the aircraft were taken out of service, and what their present status is.A criminal investigation is now underway after it was found that a factory in Moscow had bought and installed poor-quality wheel bearings instead of those specified by the Ministry of Defence, according to pro-Kremlin newspaper Kommersant.
Kommersant reported that some time between 2017 and 2022, company representatives shipped the wheels with forged papers, saying they had been brought from the right source and approved by the Russian MOD.They were then sent to Aviastar SP, Russia’s massive military aircraft factory, it said.Prosecutors said that the switch had caused significant harm to the defense ministry, according to the outlet.Il-76MD-90As have been a target for Ukraine since the launch of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.At least six Il-76s have been damaged or destroyed since the start of the war, according to open-source tracking project Oryx.In January, Russia accused Ukraine of shooting down an Il-76 that it said was carrying Ukrainian prisoners of war. Ukraine later said it had been tricked into downing it.Two others were damaged and two destroyed on a Russian airfield some 400 miles from the border with Ukraine last September, in an attack that sparked further concern about Russia’s ability to protect its own airspace.
